Striving for Forever
by othravenslvr
Summary: Lucas and Haley are twins. Haley is dating Lucas's best friend Nathan. Lucas is dating Haley's best friend Brooke's sister Alexandra. When distaster strikes right before junior year, how will the friends cope?
1. Chapter 1

Nathan laced his fingers through Haley's and squeezed her hands into his as they sat on the couch in her living room. He leaned over and kissed her lightly. She smiled and looked into his eyes.

"Whoa! Please! Wait til I leave, would ya!" Lucas called to his sister as he entered the room.

The three laughed as Haley and Nathan rose from the couch.

"Lookin good, man! Where you off to?" Nathan asked him as they greeted each other in the same secret, macho handshake-hug they'd made up so many years ago.

"He's got a date with Alex." Haley informed him.

Lucas nodded, looking in the mirror as Haley came up behind him, straightening his jacket for him.

"A whole year…" Lucas said, referring to the anniversary date he was taking Alex on that night.

"Ooh! Yeah! The one year anniversary! What'd you get her!" Haley asked him excitedly.

"Why should you get to see it before she does?" Lucas asked her laughing.

Haley hit him playfully on the shoulder and stood up on her tiptoes, bringing herself face to face with him.

"Because you love me, remember?" she told him playfully.

He sighed and pretended to remember.

"Well, I guess so…" he said slowly, taking a small black velvet box from the pocket of his jacket.

She quickly took it from him and opened the small box carefully.

"Luke! That's gorgeous!" she gushed, taking the small ring from the wrapping.

She held up the small white gold ring and turned it slowly, reading the inscription on the inside.

"To Allie, I Love You With All My Heart. –Luke" Haley read dramatically. She traced the outline of the heart-shaped diamond with her finger and placed it back in the box, giving it back to Lucas.

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"She's gonna love it. Have fun tonight, Lucas. I'll see you later."

"Thanks, Hales. I'll see y'all later."

He did the handshake again with Nathan and left the door, skipping down the front porch steps.

"Bye Hales. Love you." He called, climbing into his truck.

"Bye Luke. Love you too." She waved back, going back into the house with Nathan.

Nathan closed the door behind him and turned, grinning at her.

Haley squealed and turned to run but Nathan was quicker. He scooped her up and flung her over his shoulder taking her into the living room. He flung her onto the couch and rolled over top of her. She giggled wildly as he tickled her.

"Stop! Stop!" she managed to get out through her giggles.

Nathan finally rolled over and laid beside her placing his arms around her waist.

She turned her head and smiled, kissing him.

He closed his eyes and smiled back at her, silence filling the room.

"Let's go out somewhere." Haley told him, breaking the silence.

"Hahaha. You really have a short attention span. Alright, let's go babe." He said, giving her his hand to help her off the couch. He put his arm around her and they walked out the front door of the house.

---

Lucas sat on the quiet bench with Alex wrapped up in his arms. It was tradition. After every date they went on, they came to the infamous rivercourt to talk. She shifted and sighed, looking down at the new ring on her finger.

"I love you Allie." Lucas whispered.

"I love you too, Luke." Alex told him.


	2. Chapter 2

Nathan sat across from Haley in the small booth of the pizza café in town. Haley had just finished her pizza and was talking to Nathan as he finished when his cell phone rang. He looked at her apologetically as he picked up the small phone.

"Hello?" Nathan asked.

Haley looked away and watched as cars passed out the window. Nathan was silent as he listened to the other person on the phone. She looked at him quizzically and watched as he silently nodded to himself. She watched as Nathan's expression changed. He looked to her and suddenly, fear filled his eyes. He said nothing but hung up the phone and slammed a twenty dollar bill on the table, taking Haley's hand.

"We have to go, Hales." He said quickly.

"Wait, wait, what happened?" she asked, somewhat panicked.

"Lucas…" Nathan said quietly, turning to her, his voice quivering.

"C'mon" he whispered, taking her hand.

---

Nathan and Haley went arm in arm through the bright hallway.

Haley looked down the hall and let go of Nathan, taking off towards the petite brunette near the reception desk.

The girl turned around and Haley embraced her. The girl cried into her shoulder as Nathan came up behind them and ran his hand up and down the girl's back, waiting for someone at the desk to help them.

"Brooke! Wha-What happened? How are they?"

As if just on cue, a tall blonde doctor walked up and tapped Haley on the shoulder.

"Are you all here for Lucas Roe and Alexandra Davis?"

"Yes, sir. What happened? How are they?" Nathan asked, putting his arms around the two teary girls.

"We're still not sure what happened. Miss Davis, we did everything we could. Alexandra is gone." The doctor told them softly.

Brooke's face fell as fresh tears fell from her eyes. She swayed back and forth and felt her head lighten. Nathan wrapped his arms around Brooke strongly and scooped her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his chest as Haley held tightly to his shoulder. Nathan looked at the doctor, his eyes filled with fear. Speaking for his girlfriend and himself, he cleared his throat.

"L-Lucas?" he managed to ask quietly.

"Lucas was very badly injured in the incident. He broke four ribs and his right ankle. Under the broken ribs his lung was punctured and had to be repaired. He also had internal bleeding and we had to take out his spleen and a small part of his large intestine. He had a mild concussion and of course a lot of scrapes and bruises. He is in a coma now but you're welcome to go see him whenever you want."

"He…He's going to wake up…right?" Haley asked softly.

"We're confident that Lucas will wake up. We just don't know when that will be. It's up to him."

Haley let the tears fall down her cheeks as she latched onto Nathan's arm. Nathan took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to be strong for the girls.

"Thank you." He told the doctor, taking the papers from him.

"I'll talk to you all again soon. And again, I'm very sorry for your loss." The doctor told them.

The man walked away and Nathan walked to the parking lot carrying Brooke with Haley around his arm. They reached the car and he opened the top of the convertible, laying Brooke across the backseat.

Nathan stood up and wrapped his arms around Haley. He felt her tears soak through his shirt and sighed deeply, reflecting on the night. She had just come close to losing her brother and he needed to be strong for her. He stroked Haley's head and glanced towards Brooke. She slept on her side but her tear stained cheeks shone in the moonlight. Nathan guessed that she must be in shock. Losing her sister, her only companion, she was falling apart. It had taken every bit of strength he had to listen to the doctor while Brooke cried in his arms. He needed to be strong, for Haley and Brooke. He pulled away as Brooke stirred. He looked down at Haley who wiped tears from her eyes and sighed, breathing deeply. He placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled slightly.

"We…I…Lucas" Nathan tried to say.

Haley understood. She wiped away her tears once more and nodded her head.

"We should um…go before Brooke wakes up." Haley said, convincing herself more than she was Nathan.

He nodded and put his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder and they headed into the hospital.

Nathan opened the door to the room and gave Haley a slight nudge inside. He followed her and closed the door quietly. Haley rounded the corner and stopped abruptly at the foot of the bed. She felt fresh tears stinging her eyes as she stared at Lucas lying in the small metal framed bed. He looked so helpless. His ankle was elevated in a hard, white cast with a metal ring around the joint. He had a tube coming from his chest and too many tubes of fluid running into his arms to count. His head was bandaged and his face was cut up and swollen. She jumped slightly as she felt Nathan's hand on her back. The tears slid down her face and she turned, running out the door to the room. She leaned back against the wall outside the room and slid down to the floor, cradling her head in her hands. Nathan took one last look at his friend before racing after Haley. He stopped short as he spotted her sitting outside on the floor. He knelt down and lifted her face with one hand, stroking her hair away from her face with the other. He smiled slightly at her.

"He's okay, Hales. Everything's going to be okay." He whispered.

"He's so…scary, Nate. How could this have happened. Neither of them deserved this. How could something like this happen?" she cried softly.

"They don't know, baby. They need Lucas to wake up. All they know is that someone called from the highway. They said they found Lucas's truck on the interstate and both bodies about a hundred yards off. The truck had been in a crash but they couldn't have been hurt this badly. Something else happened but they need Lucas to wake up to find out."

"Wh-what if he doesn't, Nate? What if he never does?" Haley asked, tears sliding down her face.

"He will. Lucas won't give up. He loves you, Hales. He won't leave us." He whispered as he took her into his arms and they stood. He hugged her once more and sighed, trying once more to fight off the emotion he felt sweeping over him.

"Why don't you take Brooke back to your place. I'll take a cab and meet you both there. We'll take care of her until her dad can get home from his trip. I have some…stuff to do first." He told her.

He kissed her and embraced her once more, smiling slightly.

"Everything's going to be okay, Hales. I promise." He told her. She squeezed his hand and took off towards the parking lot.

He watched her leave and then silently turned the knob to the room once more, walking inside. This time he didn't stop at the foot of the bed, rather taking a seat beside him. Nathan sat and put his elbows onto the bed staring at the boy he'd grown to love.

"Hey, man…it's me…it's Nathan. I don't know if you can hear me but I need someone to talk to. I don't know what to do, man. Alex is gone, I know you know. You have to know. Well, even if you didn't, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Luke. Brooke is going out of her mind. She needs to know what really happened, man. She needs to know how her sister died. And Haley's a mess too. She loves you so much Lucas. She needs you. I honestly don't know how she'd survive without you. She needs her brother, Luke. You gotta come back to us. Please, Lucas…please, we need you…I need you. Ya know…I always thought I was an only child, but I was wrong. Lucas, you're my brother. You were always there when I needed you, you were always there. I need you now, man."

Nathan laid his head in his hands and let the tears fall for the first time that night. He cried onto Lucas's bed into his hands and finally everything sank in. Alex was gone. Lucas was here, but he wasn't really here. He jumped slightly as he felt something brush his shoulder. He sat up and watched Lucas's hand move across his arm. He picked up Lucas's hand in the first position if their secret handshake and waited. He closed his eyes and faintly felt Lucas squeeze his hand. He let go and stood up.

"Come back to us soon, my brother." Nathan told him, leaving the room.

Outside, he ran into the doctor from before.

"Mr. Scott? Right?" the doctor inquired.

"Yeah…"

"He's going to be fine." The doctor told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"He um…he squeezed my hand…" Nathan told him.

The doctor smiled and scribbled something onto the clipboard in front of him.

"See…that's one of the earliest signs of a patient's struggle to wake up from a coma. If I had to guess, he'll be awake within the next two days if he's already doing what you claim he's doing." The doctor told him.

Nathan smiled and nodded.

"I needed to give you some things, Mr. Scott, before you left for the night."

Nathan nodded and accepted the box from the man. He opened the lid and looked inside.

"Those are the personal belongings that were found among Alexandra and Lucas and the paperwork so far. Injury statements, billing information, accident report documents, things like that. You may look through them and give them to the parental figures. I noticed that they weren't here."

"Mr. Davis is on a business trip and Ms. Roe is in Italy at school." Nathan informed him.

"So you'll be um, looking after Miss Davis for the next few days?"

Nathan nodded.

"Here, then." The doctor handed Nathan a small plastic baggie and he closed it in his fist.

"Those are mild sleeping pills. Miss Davis is obviously going through a rough time right now. I talked to the psychologist that she will be referred to and he suggested these to get her through the next couple of days." He explained.

"Thank you. I have to go but we'll be back tomorrow to see Lucas." Nathan told him.

The doctor nodded.

Nathan turned and walked off towards the parking lot, calling a cab from his cell.


	3. Chapter 3

Haley sat cross-legged on the couch in front of the TV, cradling Brooke's head in her lap. Nathan was finally asleep and she didn't want to wake him. She ran her fingers through her friend's hair. It had been almost twenty four hours since it happened. Nathan was sleeping for the first time since the accident. He'd been up all night and day helping Haley and Brooke, calling Haley's mom and Brooke's dad, letting all of their friends know what had happened. Haley looked to him and smiled slightly. He was so strong and always there when people needed him. She loved him. Brooke stirred and Haley whispered softly to her, hoping she'd sleep abit longer.

"Shhh, Brooke. You're okay, everything's okay." She whispered softly.

Brooke turned slightly and sighed.

"She's gone…" Brooke whispered in her sleep, barely audible.

Haley looked up at the TV screen and turned down the volume as the story aired for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Yesterday night, two of our own Tree Hill resident teenagers, Lucas Roe and Alexandra Davis were involved in an accident on Highway 79. The two were found a hundred yards from their wrecked car and police haven't released anything about what actually happened. Alexandra did not survive the incident and Lucas Roe, from what we've heard, is still in critical condition. If you have any information regarding this case, please contact the Tree Hill Police Department. If you would like more information regarding this case or the two victims, please visit our website."

Haley watched the blonde television reporter and felt like she was punched in the stomach. She muted the TV as the news station's website flashed across the screen. Haley scooted to the side, laying Brooke's head on the pillow beside her and getting up from the couch. She walked over and placed a blanket over Nathan and wandered down the narrow hallway. She stopped short at the open door to Lucas's bedroom. She walked inside and fingered the trinkets on his bookcase before flopping onto his bed. She grabbed his sweatshirt he'd gotten from his uncle's body shop and curled up on his pillow. She breathed deeply and a single tear fell onto the bed.

_Flashback_

"_C'mon, Hales. He needs you just as much as you need him." Nathan told her, pushing her into the hospital room._

"_Nate?" she cried softly._

"_Go talk to him. I'll be right here. He can hear us, Hales. He just needs to know we're here." He told her, smiling._

_Haley took a deep breath and walked into the room. She turned the corner and walked over, standing by the bed. She ran her fingers over his chest and then through his shaggy, dirty-blonde hair. His eye was swollen and there were cuts and bruises everywhere. She picked up his hand and squeezed it between both her own._

"_Hey big brother. I…I've missed you. You know…you scared me. You're still scaring me. I need you, Luke. Nathan's real worried too. We need you back, big brother. You have to wake up. You have to some back to us soon, Luke. I love you."_

_Haley held Lucas's hand and stroked his face softly. She jumped slightly as she felt him softly squeeze her hand. _

"_I love you, Luke." She whispered once more. "Come back soon."_

_She laid his hand gently back beside him and left the room almost running into Nathan._

"_You talked to him?" he asked her._

_She nodded and hugged him._

_He stoked her hair and they rocked back and forth in each other's arms in the hallway._

"_He's coming back, Nate. He's going to be okay." She told him softly._

_End Flashback_

Nathan rubbed his eyes and walked into Lucas's room, finding Haley exactly where he knew he would. He smiled softly as he stood in the doorway, staring at her curled up on her brother's bed. He walked into the room and over to the nightstand. He looked at the pictures that Lucas had taped to the surface in a messy collage. He stared at the pictures of Lucas posing with Haley his friends and family. There was one in the middle of Lucas and himself on the rivercourt. He remembered the day well. They had just won the first basketball game with the varsity team freshman year and had gone to celebrate. Another picture was the first date that Lucas and Alex had gone on. Nathan fingered the picture and was mesmerized at Alex's face in the picture.

_Flashback_

"_Are you ready?" the man asked._

_Nathan didn't want to do this. But neither Haley nor Brooke was up to it, so he had volunteered. He took a deep breath and nodded. The man pulled back the thick white sheet and Nathan quickly glanced away._

"_It's her. It's Alex." He said softly._

_The man nodded. The two left the room and the man smiled reassuringly at Nathan, handing him the medical reports. Nathan took the papers and walked away. He sat down in his car and sighed. Opening the stack of papers, he scanned the content._

'…_multiple bruises, stab wound to the chest, possible murder…'_

_Nathan took a deep breath and threw the papers to the floorboard of the car. He didn't dare show them to Brooke. The last thing she needed was to worry even more. If her sister had been murdered, Brooke didn't need to know until it was confirmed. He thought about Lucas. They said it would been soon. Soon they would know the truth. He turned the keys in the ignition, took a deep breath and drove out of the parking lot._

_End flashback_

Nathan climbed onto Lucas's bed and wrapped his arms around Haley. He pressed his face into her hair and scooted closer.

"I love you, baby." He whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Brooke sat at the kitchen table in Haley's house listening to the steady hum of the water running as Nathan took a shower in the next room. Haley was still asleep and they didn't want to wake her yet. It had become almost routine: her and Nathan either crashing at Haley's place or coming over early and meeting for breakfast before going to visit Lucas. It had been a little over a week since the accident and the doctors predicted he could wake at any time so they spent most of their free time there. The sound of the water stopped, signaling that Nathan was almost ready. Brooke leaned back in the chair and thought about the past week. Maybe it was true; you don't know who your real friends are until you really, truly need someone. Haley and Nathan had been great through everything. Brooke knew she'd been completely out of it the first couple days. Now everything seemed calmer, somewhat more normal. Her sister's funeral, three days ago, had been beautiful. Nathan and Haley had been ready to swoop in and save her at any given moment and she loved them for it, but the funeral had a completely different effect on her that she thought it would. She'd been dreading the funeral because of all the emotions and memories she knew it would bring but instead of grief afterwards, Brooke felt a little relieved. She'd talked for almost twenty minutes to Alex's friends and family and her special connection with her sister for the past couple days was revealed. She had read an entry from her sister's diary at the service, explaining how happy Alex had been with her life and how much she loved her family and friends. After the accident, Brooke knew what to look for. She found Alex's diary hidden under her mattress and read it cover to cover, looking for some insight into her sister's feelings. There were things written about her family, gossip from school, and lots of things about Lucas. Brooke missed her sister, and would give anything to have her back but the funeral had at least given her a piece of her sister that she could hold onto and keep forever.

"Morning, sunshine!" Nathan called to her laughing, walking into the kitchen.

He pulled open the cabinet and took out the cereal.

"Morning, Nate." She answered.

He walked over and hugged her.

"You okay today?" he asked her.

She nodded, pulling back and sitting down. Nathan had become almost like an older brother to her the past few days, always making sure she was okay.

Nathan poured their cereal and set the 3 places at the table.

"Hales! Get out here, baby!" he called loudly.

Minutes later, Haley emerged from Lucas's room, dressed and ready. Brooke had pretty much taken over Haley's room and Nathan had been crashing on the couch a lot so Haley had moved into Lucas's room. Haley's Uncle Keith had come by during the week two or three times, just to check in for their mom. They usually ran into him at the hospital too. Since Karen couldn't get time off from her cooking school in Italy until the next week, Keith had been taking care of everyone for her. Keith seemed to be the one person Karen trusted enough to check up on them all.

"Morning Brooke! Morning, Nate!" she called out.

She hugged Brooke before leaping into Nathan's arms kissing him quickly.

"Mmm. Morning, babe." He said.

"Ooh! Get a room lovebirds!" Brooke said laughing.

Haley smiled. It seemed like so long since they could joke around and laugh. She knew that the situation was still very real and hard to deal with but they were managing now, helping each other get through it and making things more normal.

"Oh…my mom called last night. She's coming back at the end of next week." Haley told them.

Nathan smiled at Haley.

"That's great, Hales. I guess you'll want us to move out, right?"

"Yeah, Haley. You sure your mom's okay with having me and Nate stay here? Or should we pack up and hide our belongings in a closet?" Brooke asked, joking.

Haley laughed and put her hand on Brooke's shoulder.

"She'd fine with it. Considering new circumstances, I don't think she cares."

Nathan nodded and went back to his cereal. He loved Haley and it was hard to see her hurting and not be able to help her. He was hurting too. Lucas was like a brother to him and it had been hard to keep Haley's spirits up the past few days. Today was different, he practically knew Lucas better than Lucas knew himself and today was different. Today Lucas was going to come back. He didn't know how he knew, but he did and he was extremely excited.

"You almost ready, babe?" Haley asked clearing the dishes.

"Yeah! Let's hit it!" he said smiling.

The three locked the house and piled into the car preparing for yet another day.

---

Haley sat by her brother's bedside reading a book while Nathan and Brooke sat on the couch fighting over the remote control.

Would you two pick a channel, please! The boy called from the corner.

"Shut up, man…I'm trying to save us from watching Lifetime."

"C'mon guys! It's a great movie!" Brooke whined.

Nathan wriggled the remote away from Brooke and quickly tossed it across the room to the others. Tim Smith, a teammate and friend of theirs from school made the catch and smiled his goofy grin at Nathan.

"I got it, Nate!" he said, clearly proud of his catch.

Before he could change the channel he was whacked upside the head with a pillow and the blonde girl on the floor wrestled the remote from his hands.

"Ha! Good job, Tim." Peyton said to him laughing.

She quickly changed the channel to a music video station and left it there, placing the remote on the table.

"There! Agreed?" she asked, looking around the room.

The guys looked at her, still irked about missing the basketball game but nodded.

"Good." She said smiling.

Nathan looked around and smiled. The room was full today. Besides Haley, Brooke and himself, they'd gotten together some of their friends to hang out today, even if it was in a hospital room. Brooke and Haley's good friend Peyton Sawyer was there, trying desperately to wiggle her way onto the couch. Tim Smith, a member of the Tree Hill Ravens basketball team with him and Lucas was there, goofing off as always. Jake Jagelski, Peyton's current boyfriend was there. Nathan saw Jake put his arm around Peyton who was sitting in his lap. He caught Peyton's eye and smiled at her. He knew she was happy- it had been awhile since Peyton had a steady boy friend. He'd gone out with her a couple times before he dated Haley but they never really hit it off. Three of their friends from the rivercourt were there: Fergie and Skills and Mouth. Fergie and Skills were piled onto the couch and Mouth sat in the other armchair rocking Jake's daughter Jenny. Brooke went over and sat next to Haley by Lucas's bed and put her arm around her.

"Hi friend" Brooke said softly to Haley, smiling.

Haley laughed and hugged her.

"You hungry?" Brooke asked.

Haley grinned and nodded.

"Alright! Decision made! Time for food everybody!" Brooke shouted happily.

Nathan got up off the chair and went over to Haley.

"C'mon y'all. Let's go get food!" Nathan called out.

Slowly, everyone rose to their feet.

"I get to ride shotgun!" Tim shouted, racing out the door.

Everyone laughed as Fergie chased him down the hall.

"You gonna stay here, Brooke?" Nathan asked.

She winked at him and nodded.

Earlier that morning, Nathan had confided in Brooke about his suspicions that Lucas would wake up today. Brooke didn't quite understand why Nathan had such a strong feeling about it but figured it was wishful thinking and agreed that she would make sure someone was always with Lucas today. She grabbed the remote and sat down in the chair by Lucas's bed, waving goodbye as everyone left the room. Peyton came over and hugged Brooke before picking up Jenny's car seat and leaving the room. Haley and Nathan waved to Brooke and shut the door behind them.

Brooke smiled to herself and switched the channel to the Lifetime movie she'd wanted to see and settled into her chair.

---

Lucas slowly opened his eyes and the harsh light formed tears in his eyes. The world around him was blurred and he shifted his eyes, trying to focus. The figure sitting next to him moved slightly.

"Luke?" she asked.

He smiled slightly and nodded, immediately regretting the movement as his head banged and the slightly unfocused world around him seemed to rock back and forth. He closed his eyes again for a moment and opened them, focusing on the figure beside him.

"Brooke…" he whispered, his voice raspy and soft.


	5. Chapter 5

Brooke hung up the phone and stood aside as the doctor finished checking over Lucas. She'd called Nathan to tell him he had been right and Nathan said they'd be there within the next hour.

"Miss Davis? May I speak with you a moment?" the doctor asked.

Brooke caught Lucas's eye from across the room and he smiled slightly. She smiled back at him and then nodded at the doctor following him into the corner of the room.

"How is he?" she asked softly.

"Considering everything, he's doing well. We'll watch him for the next day or two and access when we'll be able to send him home." He told her.

"So, he's okay?" she asked hopefully.

"Well, there is one thing we expected: he does have some memory loss." he told her.

"So, like, he doesn't know who we are?" she assumed.

"No ma'am. Nothing that severe. He just doesn't remember anything from the night of the accident. We expect that it will all come back to him as he heals." The doctor explained.

Brooke glanced over at Lucas and he had his eyes closed. She quickly turned back as she heard the door open. A small woman came in, smiled and nodded at the doctor and walked over to Lucas. Brooke watched as the nurse added another clear, plastic bag to the collection on them already hanging above Lucas's head.

"What is she doing?" Brooke asked nervously.

"Lucas is awake and responsive but he is still in a lot of pain. Now that he's out of the woods so to speak with his head injuries we can try to keep him comfortable. You are welcome to visit with him as long as you like but keep in mind the medicine will probably kick in soon, making him drowsy." The man explained to her quietly as the nurse finished and walked out of the room.

"I'll check in a little bit later, Miss Davis." He said leaving.

---

"Hales!" Nathan called across the family room of his house. He got her attention amongst the people and waved her over. They'd gone to eat and no one had to heart to go back to the hospital just yet so they'd all ended up at Nathan's.

"Hey!" she greeted him, taking a seat on his lap.

"Luke is awake…" he told her bluntly. He smiled slyly and looked into her eyes, awaiting her reaction. Her mouth dropped slightly and she stared at him, processing the news.

"Wha--? When?" she stuttered.

"Brooke just called. She said he's awake." He told her, excited.

"Eeee! C'mon!" she squealed, taking his hand.

Nathan slowed Haley's pace, telling Peyton on the way out to bring everyone else over later after Haley's had a chance to talk with Lucas. Peyton quickly agreed and spread the word throughout the house. Nathan grabbed his keys and tripped on the way out the door, trying his best to keep up with Haley.

---

Lucas watched as Brooke walked slowly over to the bed and carefully situated herself on the edge.

"Hey, Brooke." He managed to whisper.

"Hey you." She greeted. "Welcome back."

He smiled slightly and took her hand.

"How you feelin?" she asked.

"Been better." He responded, laughing a little. He felt the sharp pain in his side and looked at Brooke, slightly confused.

She looked at him sympathetically and scooted over, placing her hands on his stomach. She slowly raised up his shirt for him and he looked down. He slowly raised his hand and ran it over the tape. There was tape covering a row of stitches in his side and tape covering almost the whole left side of his chest. He ran his fingers carefully over the tape and noticed the bruising, causing him to inhale deeply, causing more pain in his chest.

Brooke noticed him wincing and pulled his shirt back down, taking his hand.

"The doctors said the medicine for the pain would kick in soon." Brooke told him reassuringly. "In the meantime, is there anything I can do?"

"Can you tell me what happened?" he asked softly.

Brooke's heart seemed to jump, not wanting to recap the days past but nodded.

"You know about…uh, you know about Alex, right?"

Lucas nodded, immediately regretting it as pain rushed to his head.

"After while, while I was out…I could hear everything, all of you in my room, the doctors and cops talking, everything." He said, barely audible.

"The doctor said you would probably get memory back from that night as you heal." Brooke said.

"I wish I could remember…it would make me feel better to know that I did something to try and stop it. I want to know that I tried to protect Alex…" he said softly.

"Luke, you did try! All of this, all of your injuries…you fought for Alex! The cops are saying it was murder and the only reason they left is that you were almost dead, Lucas!"

"But…" he whispered.

"No, Luke. I know you did everything you could…you loved Alex, Lucas. And she loved you! After the accident, I looked through Alex's diary and there were so many things about you Luke. Things about how much you cared, and how sweet you were, and how protective you were…you were the best thing to happen to Alex. I don't want you to ever blame yourself for this. Okay? Promise me…" Brooke pleaded with him sympathetically.

Lucas looked into her eyes and nodded. The pain came rushing back to his head and he lifted his hand to his temple, brushing against the gash on his cheek. He winced and laid his hand back down. Brooke scooted closer and ran her fingers gently over the bruises on Lucas's face. He closed his eyes, amazed at how much pain such little pressure was caused him, and tried hard to ignore it. He breathed in deeply and a sharp pain shot through him as the air seemed to stay frozen in his chest. He sat up slightly, trying to breathe comfortably and a new pain shot up his leg as the sling above the bed holding his cast shifted. He laid back and closed his eyes, biting his lower lip hard to keep from crying out.

"Lucas…?" Brooke asked concerned, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay…?"

"Yeah…" he whispered.

Brooke took his hand and slid onto the chair next to the bed.

"You need me to get the doctor?" Brooke asked.

"No thanks…medicine's kicking in…" he said, eyes closed.

Brooke nodded, even though he couldn't see, and sat back in her chair.

"Thanks, Brooke…" he whispered as his hand fell from hers onto the bed. His head turned and Brooke watched the steady motion of his chest as he slept.

---

Brooke sat in the chair outside Lucas's room and stared at the people in the waiting room. She looked up as someone's footsteps got louder coming from the end of the hall.

"Brooke!" Haley shouted, running to her, Nathan not far behind.

"Is he awake? Is he okay!" Haley asked quickly when she reached her.

Brooke stood and Nathan hurried to Haley's side.

"He woke up about an hour ago. The doctor looked over him and said that they're going to watch him for the next day or two to see when he can come home but the only thing is that he doesn't remember anything from that night…They said he'll remember eventually."

"So he doesn't know about Alex…?" Nathan asked, worried about breaking the news to his friend.

"He does…he heard a lot of stuff while he was out and we, um, we talked when he woke up about a lot of stuff. He feels guilty about what happened…I tried to talk to him but I don't think I really got through to him. He thinks he didn't protect Alex…" Brooke told them.

Nathan put his arm around Haley and she nodded.

"But he's okay, now, right?" Haley asked anxiously.

"He's sleeping now. The doctors had to give him something strong for the pain." Brooke explained.

"Can I go see him?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, go ahead…Nate and I will wait out here for a few minutes and then we'll come in."

Haley nodded and entered the room.

Nathan watched Haley go inside and then turned his attention to Brooke. She looked like she'd gone through a lot since they'd left. He walked forward and embraced her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and let the tears fall for the first time since her sister's funeral. This time not so much for Alex but more for Lucas.

"You okay, Brooke?" Nathan asked cautiously after a minute or so had passed.

Brooke nodded and pulled away from him, sitting down on the chair by the door. Nathan took the seat next to her.

"He didn't deserve this, Nate…" Brooke told him, upset.

"Whoever it was, was out to get Alex…all he did was try and protect her. And now…he's in so much pain…and he feels so guilty for it." She said, wiping the tears beginning to fall.

"He's just having a hard time, Brooke…He's smart and knows how much this accident is going to effect him. He lost the girl he loved and he knows that he probably won't get to play basketball this season." Nathan told her.

Brooke nodded, leaning back against the wall.

"Lucas is like the brother I never had…we grew up together. If I know him, he's about to go insane not knowing what's really happened, Brooke. And Lucas…he could be cut in half and wouldn't want to show the pain he's in…being in this much pain, it's got to be hard for him…" Nathan continued.

"I know…I just wish we could help him more, ya know?"

Nathan nodded.

"Yeah…he'll let us in eventually…he won't be able to do this on his own. And I'm sure he already knows that…he's just going to have to get to that point first, though." Nathan told her.

"Well, you ready to see him?" Brooke asked.

Nathan took a deep breath and nodded.

"C'mon…" he said.

Hey everybody! I really enjoyed writing this chapter because it was the first time Brooke and Lucas really got to interact. I have some storylines bouncing around in my head but I don't know when they'll come into play...I don't know how long this story will be but if you keep reviewing, I'll keep writing! Please let me know what you like/don't like so that I can write better! Thanx so much for reading the story! I'll update again soon!  -Justine


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey everybody! First off, I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for taking so long to update! I got super busy for awhile and then I tried over and over again to start another chapter but I just kinda lost the rhythm of the story and it took awhile to get inspired again. Thanks for all the great reviews! That's what got y'all this update! If you have any ideas/comments for the story, please feel free to tell me! I'm always up for new plot lines! This chapter basically is just a filler chapter. I know a lot of you are dying to know what really happened to Alex. Well, unfortunately, that will all be in the next chapter so be sure to stay tuned! I promise the next chapter will rock! Thanks so much for reading my story!  -Justine

---

Chapter 6

Lucas laid on top of the bed dressed in a grey sweatshirt and a pair of old jeans, now with a hole cut at the bottom of the right leg for his cast to fit through. Brooke emerged from the bathroom carrying his small duffel bag and set it by the door. She'd come early to help him pack up his stuff. He'd been there a little over a week and he was finally getting to go home. He looked around the room and thought about the past week he'd spent there.

Brooke stood in the corner of the room talking quietly on her cell phone now. She caught his eye and smiled, turning to the window, continuing her conversation. He really appreciated how great Brooke had been the past few days. He had known that Haley and Nathan were going to be there for him, they always had been, but Brooke had gone above and beyond everything he'd predicted. Every single day, Brooke had been there. Sometimes they talked, mostly about Alex, sharing memories. He loved that there was someone there for him that missed Alex as much as he did. Some days, when he had been too weak to talk, she still sat and watched TV with him or read magazines while he slept. He loved that she was there. Her always being there turned out to be more of a comfort to him that he ever thought it would be.

"Luke!" Haley squealed as she entered the room, followed closely by Nathan and Uncle Keith, jarring Lucas from his thoughts.

"Hey Hales." He said somewhat softly.

She leaned over the bed and very carefully embraced him. He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled at her.

"You ready for us to break you out of here, big brother?" she asked, teasing.

He smiled and nodded to her as they all sat down, waiting on the doctor to arrive once more. As if right on cue, the doctor entered the room, carrying the all-too-familiar clipboard.

Keith and Nathan stood and shook hands with him and Haley sat on the bed at Lucas's side.

"Hello everyone. I see you're all here to escort Lucas out on the big day." They all smiled and nodded.

"Keith, is it?" the man asked, nodding at Keith.

"Yes, sir. I'm Lucas's uncle." He responded.

"Who will Lucas being staying with for the next few weeks?" the doctor asked.

"He and his sister will being staying with Nathan and his parents. Lucas's mom is out of the country for school and I have a job to get back to about 30 miles outside town." He informed the doctor."

"And you have a statement from Lucas's mother and Nathan's parents?" he asked.

Keith dug the few papers from his pocket and unfolded them gently, handing them to the doctor.

The doctor was silent for a moment or two, looking over the papers again.

"Alright…are Mr. and Mrs. Scott here?" he asked.

"They're outside with the car…do you want me to go get them?" Keith asked.

"No, that's alright. I can give the instructions to you I guess…" he said, handing Keith a stack of papers.

"These are instructions on how to care for certain injuries and a few different prescriptions that Mr. and Mrs. Scott will need to get filled within the next day."

Keith nodded.

"Lucas is still extremely weak and too much exertion could make things worse. One of the prescriptions is for a painkiller that will help him sleep. He will need these because once the painkillers we've given him here start to wear off, he'll start to feel the extent of his injuries and he'll need a lot of sleep to heal…" the doctor looked over the papers once more. "We have him scheduled to be back here in a week and a half to check progress and remove stitches. Until then, call if you need anything. Okay?" the doctor ended.

Everyone nodded and Brooke smiled, knowing Lucas was about to get out of here, meaning they could all get out of here. A nurse brought in a wheelchair and a pair of crutches. Nathan took both from her and handed the crutches to Haley to hold. He and Keith stood on both sides of Lucas and placed their arms gently around his waist, walking him slowly to the wheelchair. Brooke picked up his bag and stood behind him, pushing him out the door.

"Alright Luke. Let's hit it!" Haley cheered him on as they all made their way down the hall.

---

Nathan brought another pillow to Lucas to set under his foot and sat down beside Haley on the couch in his room.

"This is your guest room, Nate?" Haley asked, amazed.

He nodded and smiled.

"Yours is connected to Lucas's over there, through that door." He told her.

"Wow…this is like…massive…" she said.

He laughed and put his arm around her.

Brooke sat down beside Lucas's bed and handed him a glass of water and three small pills.

"Thanks, Brooke…" he told her.

He quickly swallowed them, wanting the painkillers to set in soon. His head was killing him and being carried up the stairs by Nathan and his father wasn't exactly what his broken ribs had needed. He closed his eyes for a second and felt Brooke run her fingers through his hair.

Nathan's mom, Deb, peeked her head into the room just then and smiled.

"You okay, Lucas?" she asked.

"Yeah, thank you." He said quietly.

He'd known Deb and her husband Dan for as long as he could remember. When his dad had left them, his mom needed help being a single parent with two tiny kids, so Nathan's parents had always helped Karen out. And again, here they were again, offering to keep them while Karen was in Italy. Usually, Karen was fin e with letting Lucas and Haley stay on their own with Keith checking in now and then but the doctors had explained that Lucas would need almost round the clock care for awhile so Dan and Deb offered to take them in.

"Well, Lucas needs rest. You can stop by for dinner later and see him, Brooke." Deb told them all kindly.

"C'mon, Hales. Let's go watch a movie." Nathan suggested.

Haley nodded and got up from her chair.

"Have a nice nap, Luke. I'll be down the hall if you need me." She told him, embracing him softly before walking towards the door.

"Alright, man. Call me if you need anything." Nathan said, bumping fists with him.

Nathan and Haley walked out and Deb smiled and Brooke and left.

"I'll be back later Luke." She told him quietly.

"Brooke…thank you…for everything." He said sincerely.

She smiled and bent down, kissing him softly on the cheek.

"Anytime, Luke. Bye." She said, leaving the room.

Lucas's head was spinning as he drifted off to sleep again.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Nathan suddenly awoke from a deep sleep. He slowly opened his eyes and scanned the room, noticing the TV still on and Haley sleeping soundly beside him. He silently cursed at himself for falling asleep in her room. As he got up from the bed and rubbed his eyes, he looked at the clock. It was too early in the morning for anyone in their right mind to be up and he couldn't quite remember what it was that had awoken him. He waited in silence for a second or two then heard it again. He quickened his pace and barged into his best friend's room, switching on the light. He paused for a brief second, surprised. Lucas was tossing under the sheets, yelling every few minutes. His voice was getting hoarser as he yelled and Nathan knew he was doing damage to his injuries. Knowing he'd be in pain from moving around so much when he finally woke up, he bent over and shook his friend's shoulder gently. It didn't faze Lucas so Nathan shook him a bit harder. Nathan jumped a little as Lucas's eye opened wide and scanned the room nervously. He was very pale, drenched with sweat, and breathing heavily. Nathan hastily propped another pillow behind him so Lucas could sit up slightly. He sat down beside him on the edge of the bed.

"Luke man, are you okay?" he asked nervously.

Lucas just stared straight ahead and shook his head no.

"What happened…?" Nathan asked.

Lucas sat in silence for a minute, as if he was trying to stare through the wall, "I remember, Nate…," he said, barely audible.

Nathan quickly got up and picked up the phone, dialing the number that had become so familiar.

"Hey…Lucas needs you." He said, trying to stay calm. He hung up the phone and waited as his friend sat in silence.

Almost twenty minutes later, Nathan, Haley, and Deb stood silently in the doorway of Lucas's room. Haley tried to walk forward into the room to embrace her brother but Nathan held her back and put his arm around her.

"Not now, Hales…" he told her. "He needs to talk to her first."

They heard footsteps come rushing up the stairs down the hall and turned to see her quickly coming towards them. She brushed past Nathan's shoulder and smiled at him, walking into the room. She heard the door shut behind her as the three of them left and she walked over and sat down on the edge of Lucas's bed, taking his hand.

"Lucas…" she whispered, sympathetically embracing him.

He felt her squeeze the many bruises on his chest. Brooke held him in her arms, feeling his tears soaking through her thin shirt. She softly ran her fingers up and down his back, letting him tell her without words what he had been through that night. He finally pulled away and lay back onto his pillow. She lay down on her side facing him and gently stroked the stray hairs away from his face. Pulling her hand away, she noticed the blood on her fingers. She quickly took a rag from the nightstand and pressed it against the cut that had opened on his head. He winced slightly and stared at the ceiling as she tended to him. After a few minutes, she finally broke the silence.

"Luke…are you alright?' she asked quietly.

He shook his head and stared at her.

"I remember now…" he whispered, his voice crackled.

She nodded and rubbed her hand over his shoulder, trying to show him she understood.

Flashback

"Lucas, he's still there." Alex said worried.

Lucas looked into his rearview mirror and glanced at the car that had been following them since they left the river court. He put his arm around her and smiled.

"It's fine, babe. He's probably lost and just needs to find a town." he said trying to calm her fears, "see…there he's going now," a look of relief spread across his face as the car sped up and passed them.

He felt Alex sigh and smiled at her. Squeezing her hand he turned back to the road and instantly a bright light shone in his eyes from the side.

"Lucas!" Alex yelled.

The car slammed into them and sent them spinning across the highway until they finally hit a pole and stopped. It took Lucas a second to realize what had happened but he quickly forced himself back into reality. Reaching up he wiped the blood from his forehead where he'd been hit the steering wheel. He suddenly turned to face his partner seated on the passenger side.

"Are you okay?" he asked her anxiously.

She nodded her eyes full of fear.

"Let's get outta here…" he told her, taking her hand and climbing out the passenger side door after her.

They stood outside the mangled car and held hands, looking around.

"Look! It's like the guy turned around in the median just to hit us…" she observed as they stared at the other car in the ditch.

"I guess he knows what he did though…he ran off." Lucas said, pointing to the empty driver's seat of the other car.

"C'mon…let's get you to the hospital…make sure everything's okay…" he told her squeezing her hand.

He turned his head and out of the corner of his eye a figure came out behind them and jumped him, knocking Lucas straight to the ground. 

End Flashback

Lucas slowly spilled the story to Brooke, slowing as he reached the end.

Brooke embraced him again, and he sat in her arms for what seemed like hours to him.

"Lucas…?" she started nervously.

He looked at her.

"What else happened…?"

"I…I don't know…" he replied feeling guilty for not being able to tell her everything.

Brooke saw the fear in his eyes and quickly hugged him again.

"No, no…it's okay, Luke. You'll remember." she encouraged him.

He laid back down beside her and she put her hand gently on his chest.

"Are you okay, now?" she asked.

He hesitated and then nodded, trying not to make eye contact with her.

"I'll be back…" she whispered.

She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. Leaning against the wall, she slid down until she was sitting on the floor. Pulling her knees up to her chest she leaned her head back against the wall, she felt bad for Lucas. She saw the fear in his eyes when he talked about what he had dreamed about. The doctors had warned them that the medication to ease his pain would have side effects, one being his night terrors and their ability to make them even more livid with each passing time. She heard footsteps and quickly looked up and found Nathan standing over her. He sat down beside her on the floor and put his hand on her shoulder smiling.

"You okay, Brooke?" he asked sincerely.

"Yeah, I guess I'm just worried about him…"

"We all are…but he'll get through this. And you'll get through this. It just takes time."

"I wish I could help him more, you know? He's already gone through so much and now it's like he has to relive it all. I wish…I wish he could stop taking the medicine, make the dreams a little less…real, I guess." She confided in him.

He nodded, understanding where she was coming from.

"My mom asked when we left the hospital about that…She was worried this would happen…that when Lucas started to remember and that it would be too much for him to handle…"

"What did they tell her?" she asked hopefully.

"That it was pretty much impossible…" he started.

Brooke's face fell a little.

"…They said he'd be in too much pain to be able to stop taking them, that if Lucas didn't take them then he'd be in too much pain to sleep and sleep is the only thing helping him recover right now." Nathan told her.

Brooke nodded.

Nathan got up and stuck his hand out, helping Brooke to her feet.

"How about I make breakfast and you can hang out here again for the day." He offered.

"Sounds great, Nate." She replied, reaching to go back into Lucas's room.

Brooke sat on the edge of the couch in Nathan's room. Lucas's head lay in her lap and Nathan and  
Haley were curled up on his bed. It was almost 3 in the morning and the movie was almost over. Lucas had been exhausted. He'd stayed awake all day, skipping the naps he usually took and even convincing Deb that he was strong enough to walk over to Nathan's room to watch movies. It had taken until 2 that morning before his body finally won the battle and he fell asleep. It was a little weird for them, Lucas usually fell asleep right after dinner when he was given the meds. But today, it was like he tried to fight them off, trying not to sleep. Brooke rubbed his shoulder as he slept spread out beside her. She sat silently, enjoying his company. As she rubbed his arm, he started to move. He turned back and forth until blood from the stitches on his chest bled through his shirt. She quickly called out to Nathan who awoke and got up from the bed. He came over and scooped Lucas up in his arms, carrying him over to the bed next to Haley. Haley heard the commotion and stirred, realizing what was happening.

"He's dreaming again…" Nathan said calmly.

Haley grabbed one of Nathan's shirts from the drawer and pressed it against Lucas's chest as Nathan tried to keep the boy still. Brooke lightly shook his shoulder, trying to wake him. He woke up in about the same way he did the last time, very pale and soaked in perspiration.

"Luke…did you dream again?" Haley asked.

He nodded as she rubbed his shoulder gently, really seeing the fear in her brother's eyes.  
Brooke went over and sat beside Lucas, taking the shirt from Haley and pressing it against him. Haley went over and sat beside Nathan on the foot of the bed, snuggling close to him, watching her brother in fear. Nathan pulled her close, waiting for Lucas to be ready to tell them what he'd remembered.

After a few minutes of silence the boy swallowed hard and grabbed Brooke's hand as another piece of the story unraveled itself.

Flashback 

Lucas yelled as his body hit the pavement. He rolled over onto the figure and punched him twice but the man was stronger. He stood and pulled Lucas up by his arm, hurling him at least a couple of feet. Lucas groaned as his already throbbing head hit the pavement and he heard his foot crack as it slammed against the concrete guardrail at the side of the highway. The man walked over and kicked Lucas hard three times in the chest before laughing. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Lucas stood up and jumped onto the man's back, sending them both onto the ground again. They both fought hard for what seemed to Lucas to be a lot longer than it actually was as he heard Alex screaming. After awhile, she ran over and tried to pull the guy off of Lucas.

"Allie! Don't! Go get help!" he yelled.

This only resulted in the man knocking his fist into Alex's knee, sending her rolling across the road.

"Luke! What about you?" she yelled, almost hysterical.

"Don't worry! Just go!" he yelled, as loud as he could.

He looked away and saw Alex get up, hoping she could get away. Just then, as he turned to watch her leave the man's fist made its way onto the back of his skull.

End Flashback

Lucas swallowed hard again when he finished as the other three sat and stared at him. Haley reached out and rubbed Lucas's knee letting him know how she understood how hard this was for him. Brooke ran her fingers through his hair and smiled slightly at him. The four of them sat in silence, trying to process the new piece of the story.

---

Lucas lay in bed and smiled as Deb turned to leave the room.

"You okay for the night?" she asked sweetly.

He nodded, regretting it as his head pounded.

She set the tray of food down by him and put her hand on his arm, smiling.

"The doctor's coming by tomorrow to check in…try and get some rest Lucas. You look worn out."  
she told him before gently rubbing his arm and leaving the room.

When she was out of sight Lucas sighed in relief as he finally brought his hands and held his throbbing head. He rubbed his temples and breathed deeply. Reaching over, he took the handful of pills from the napkin on the tray where Deb had left them and stared at them all, lying in the palm of his hand as it shook. He carefully reached over adding the handful of pills to what now seemed to be a collection of them piling up in the top drawer of the nightstand. It had been almost 36 hours…since he'd taken anything…a full day and a half…since he'd let himself sleep. He took an ice cube from the glass of water beside him and rubbed it over his forehead. He managed to convince everybody that he was doing better, that he was sleeping well, that the dreams had stopped, that the pain was easing…that had proved to be the toughest part. Even the slightest touch from someone sent pangs of pain through his body, but he'd tried hard not to let it show. No one knew that he'd stopped taking his pain medicine to stop the dreams. No one knew that the story he was remembering seemed as if it was a song on repeat playing over and over, with no stop button. His head was spinning. He'd never known pain like this. But he wasn't going to let himself take the medicine; he wasn't going to let himself remember.  
---  
Haley lay in her bed and stared at the clock. It was almost five in the morning, way too early to wake Nathan. She gently pulled the blankets off of her and made her way across the room. She pushed the door open slightly and peeked into the room she'd come to know so well. Letting her eyes adjust to the dim light as she scanned her way through she felt as if her heart skipped a beat. She pushed open the door all the way and pulled the blankets off the empty bed as she panicked. Throwing the blankets back down, she quickly made her way down the hall and barged into Nathan's room. He heard her come in and jumped, startled from his sleep. She stood by the edge of the bed and shook his shoulder.

"Nathan!" she whispered firmly, yet frantically.

He opened his eyes and looked around, confused.

"Hales…?" he asked slowly, sitting up to face her. "What's wrong…?"

"Lucas…he's gone…"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Nathan stared blankly out the windshield, minutes feeling like hours as he and Haley drove through Tree Hill searching for Lucas. He heard Haley sigh and squeezed her hand. He glanced over at her and met her eyes. He gritted his teeth, willing himself to stay strong as tears streamed down her cheeks. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder and turned back to the window. He didn't want to show Haley how worried he was, he wanted to reassure her that everything would be okay. Truthfully, he was worried. Lucas had run away, he still didn't know why. He couldn't have gotten very far, his foot was broken, and his head was still bandaged. Suddenly he jarred from his thoughts and Haley was thrown forward in her seat as Nathan pulled the car sharply to the right, down a small hill. He sighed as he finally caught glimpse of his friend, lying on his back in the middle the river court. He jumped from the car, feeling the cold wind hit his face as he ran towards his friend, hearing Haley's footsteps behind him. He reached the middle of the court and bent down beside Lucas, gasping involuntarily at the sight of the boy. Lucas was staring at the sky. His hands were shaking and his teeth were chattering but his whole body was drenched with sweat. Nathan instinctively pulled his jacket from his shoulders and tucked it around Lucas's shaking body. Haley stroked Lucas's face and put her face close to his.

"Luke…Lucas…what's wrong? What happened?"

Lucas didn't respond, didn't move.

"Lucas, c'mon man, you gotta talk to us, c'mon…"

The two of them sat in silence, praying Lucas would respond. Finally, after what seemed to be hours, Lucas's head turned towards them kneeling next to him.

"Lucas…what's wrong…?" Haley asked again.

"I…it has to stop…" he mumbled, his words slurred.

"What has to stop…?" Nathan asked, confused.

"Everything…" he whispered. His head lolled to the side and his eyes fluttered. "So tired…"

Haley looked to Nathan, her eyes full of fear.

"He's going into shock…we've gotta get him home…call the hospital and my parents. I'll meet you at the car." Nathan instructed. Haley nodded and pulled her cell from her pocket, rushing off towards the car.

Nathan carefully slid his arms under his friend's body, lifting him off the pavement. Lucas groaned loudly and shut his eyes tightly, his body going stiff. Nathan instinctively held the boy tighter and talked softly to him.

"No, c'mon man. I know it hurts…it's okay…we're gonna get you home, okay?"

Lucas groaned loudly again before his body went limp and his eyes fluttered. Nathan stumbled under the sudden weight but quickly regained his balance, worrying more as the stumble didn't seem to affect Lucas at all. He lay the boy down in the backseat with Haley and climbed into the driver's seat. Pulling out onto the road, he glanced in his mirror to see Haley wiping away tears, stroking her brother's face. He quickly turned his attention away from them, he had to be strong.

Pulling quickly into the driveway, Nathan sighed in relief at the sight of the ambulance awaiting them. He stopped the car and jumped out, watching as his dad pulled Lucas from the car and laid him on the stretcher. Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley as they stood helplessly beside the stretcher, watching the paramedics work. Lucas's eyes opened and he met their eyes.

"Please…it hurts…it hurts…make it stop…please…" he whimpered, just like a little boy again.

Haley tried to stop the tears but they flowed freely down her cheeks. She knew he wasn't just talking about physical pain, and not being able to help her brother broke her heart. The paramedics and Nathan's dad waved her on and she ran off behind them, climbing into the ambulance. Without so much as a wave goodbye, they sped off down the road, leaving Nathan staring after them. Nathan stood alone, feeling his mother's presence behind him but not turning. He bit his tongue hard, tasting the blood, until finally he couldn't do it anymore. He turned around quickly and embraced his mom, burying his head in her shoulder. He'd been strong for Haley, and for Lucas, just like he knew he had to, but now it was just him, no one left to be strong for.

Brooke paced the room, staring at the clock. A room full of people filled the hard, plastic chairs, waiting for news about their friend. Nathan and Haley sat close together, surrounded by Peyton, Jake, friends from school and the rivercourt. It seemed to take forever before the short man walked into the room, calling for Lucas's family. Haley and Nathan, along with Nathan's parents, stood and rounded the corner behind him to talk privately.

"Is he okay?" Haley asked anxiously.

"Your brother was in critical condition. We had to put a new cast on his ankle and had to cool him down because his fever spiked. From what we've concluded, his body went into shock from a variety of things. He stopped taking his medication, his injuries becoming more severe and more painful for him. Honestly, I don't know how Mr. Scott got through the past couple days if he stopped taking the painkillers. I've never seen someone with the willpower to do that."

"But he's going to be okay, right?"

"Physically, it will take him abit longer to heal than previously expected, but I think the real problem here is to find out why Lucas stopped taking the medicine in the first place."

"Can we see him?" Nathan asked.

The doctor looked to Nathan's parents.

"Kids, why don't you two go get Brooke and go ahead and we'll stay here to talk to the doctor." Deb said.

Nathan nodded and went to Lucas's room as Haley went to get Brooke.

Lucas heard the faint sound of a door and his eyes fluttered open. The dim light in the room was enough to make him wince. He looked around the room, his vision blurred and out of focus. He couldn't tell where he was or why he was there.

"Hey man…"

Lucas stared hard and blinked quickly to find three figures all sitting close to his bed. He blinked again and brought his eyes to focus as much as he could. His world was still blurry but he could see Brooke, Haley, and Nathan staring at him. Suddenly, reality hit him like a punch in the stomach. He remembered it all…

"Hey…" Lucas greeted, his voice extremely shaky and hoarse.

Haley instinctively shifted and sat on the bed and leaned into her brother's chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into his warm chest. He winced at the sudden shift in weight on the bed and then relaxed, stroking her hair, feeling her tears through his shirt.

"Shhh…it's okay…" he whispered, his voice soft and uneven.

He kissed the top of her head and she pulled back, smiling at him through her tears.

"I missed you Hales…" he whispered.

She nodded and then sat back in her chair.

He looked to Nathan and he smiled.

"Hey man…you okay?"

Lucas nodded, immediately regretting it as his head pounded.

"Was I really out of it?" Lucas asked quietly.

Nathan laughed and nodded.

"Pretty out of it…what happened, man?"

Lucas held his pounding head with one hand and closed his eyes as everything came back to him at once. He didn't want to tell them. He was embarrassed to be weak like that. He opened his eyes to find the three friends still staring at him expectantly.

"I couldn't do it anymore…" he whispered.

"Do what, Luke?" Brooke asked, sitting beside him on the other side of the bed, taking his hand in hers.

"I don't know…everything…"

"Why did you stop taking the medicine Lucas?" Haley asked, growing impatient.

"I didn't want to remember anymore…I can't keep doing this…" he confided softly, feeling his face turn red. "I miss Allie…and I don't want to remember…I want to forget that night…not keep reliving it. I'm not that strong…I can't do it…" he said, feeling hot tears burn his eyes. He looked to Brooke to see tears shining in her eyes, too.

"I miss her, too…" she cried softly, embracing him and crying into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lucas…I'm sorry you have to remember…I wish I could do it for you…"

Haley slid off the bed and scooted into the chair next to Nathan, letting him put his arm around her as they sat in silence. For the first time since the accident, they both saw how hard Lucas had taken everything and Haley's heart broke. She never really understood why Lucas had wanted to talk to her best friend all those nights after the accident, but now she knew. He thought no one knew how he felt, and Brooke was the closest thing he had. She was the only one that knew how it felt to lose someone that close. Lucas had taken everything a lot harder than they'd thought, but had kept it all inside, pretending to be strong. But now, they all saw how broken Lucas had become. Lucas had loved Allie and no one doubted that they would've dated forever…but then things changed. As twisted as it was, Brooke and Lucas bonded because of their grief. Finally, Brooke pulled back.

"So that's why you stopped taking the medicine?" Nathan asked quietly, still searching for the answers.

Lucas nodded slowly.

"I wanted to make the dreams stop…wanted to make the pain stop…but it only made things worse…and then, and then I couldn't control anything anymore. I don't think I meant to run away…after awhile…I couldn't think…"  
"It's okay, Luke…" Haley said softly, rubbing his shoulder.

He laid his head back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling.

"No…it's not…" he said softly. "I can't do this…that night…it's like this stupid horror movie that somebody keeps playing in my head and I don't know how to make it stop…"

"That's because you can't, Luke…you can't just make it stop and avoid it. You have to remember…and face what happened. That's the only way you're going to be able to stop it…"

"I can't! I tried!" he said as loudly as his hoarse voice would allow, clearly upset.

"You tried to do it alone, Luke. You don't have to do that…let us help you…"

Lucas looked for the first time towards Nathan and Nathan smiled and nodded slightly, leaning back in his chair. Haley snuggled closer to him and looked at Lucas expectantly. "Please, Lucas…please let us help you…" she whispered.

He didn't say anything, just stared at her in silence. For the first time since the accident, everyone knew how he felt. Everyone knew how weak he was, and he didn't like that feeling. But, he even through his embarrassment, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, like he didn't have to remember for anyone else, that he could do it at his own pace, when he was ready to remember. He looked from Nathan, to Brooke, to Haley and then nodded.

---

There had never been an alone moment for Lucas that day, people always coming in and out, wishing him well. The guys from the rivercourt had stayed the longest, talking and laughing. But never once had Brooke, Haley, or Nathan left his room. They sat beside him when no one else was there and they sat in the corner at the table while he talked to the other visitors. Nevertheless, he always felt their presence, and it was nice. Now, Brooke was stretched out over the bed near his feet, propped up on her elbow to face him and Haley and Nathan were sharing a small chair beside him. The door opened for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day and the small man from that morning walked in.

"Hi, Lucas…" he said, walking towards the bed and taking the chart from the end.

Lucas gave a small wave, getting giggles from both Haley and Brooke.

"How are we doing?"

"Been better…" he said softly, smiling.

"Well, since you're out of the woods now, we're allowing your friends to stay as long as they wish…"

Haley smiled sincerely at Lucas and Brooke put a hand on his knee, winking at him.

"Now, you requested something for the pain?" the doctor continued, looking down at the stack of papers.

"Uh, yeah…" Lucas said slowly, ignoring the strange looks from his friends.

"Okay, I'll send a nurse in here in just a moment. I'll see you tomorrow morning and hopefully not again for awhile after that, Mr. Scott." He said, walking out the door.

It wasn't two seconds later before a small, young woman walked in, carrying a tray and setting it down in front of him without a word.

"Here you go, sir…sleep well…" she said sweetly before walking out.

Lucas stared at the small pile of colorful pills sitting in front of him. Reaching out a shaky hand he took the handful into his palm and stared at them before looking up to see his friends staring at him.

"You sure you're ready to do this again, Luke?" Nathan asked, breaking the silence.

Lucas looked to Brooke and she smiled at him, sitting up to lay down next to him.

He looked back to Nathan and nodded. He sat in silence and stared at the pills for awhile longer before looking towards Haley again expectantly. She looked into her brother's eyes and saw the hidden fear. She took his hand and smiled.

"Don't worry, Luke…we'll be here when you wake up…I promise…" she said softly.

He nodded and looked down at the pills once more before tipping his head and taking them all in one gulp. He laid his head back and breathed deeply, feeling Brooke snuggle closer to him. He opened his eyes to stare at his sister.

"You promise…?" he asked softly, his eyes growing heavy.

"I promise, Luke…" he heard her say before his eyes closed and he was engulfed in a much-needed darkness.

---

Brooke opened her eyes find a dim lit room and a small bed underneath her body. She focused her eyes and remembered. Haley and Nathan were asleep on the chair next to the bed and Lucas was lying beside her, his body starting to shake.

"Nate…Haley…" she called out softly. Nathan stirred and opened his eyes, immediately realizing what was happening. He lifted a sleepy Haley off his lap and they both stood next to the bed.

"He's not moving as much…" Brooke observed.

"Yeah…his hands are shaking though…" Haley said, taking her brother's hand. Nathan nodded.

They all watched in silence as Lucas's eyes fluttered open and he looked around the room, dazed.

"Hey, Luke…" Haley said softly.

He took a deep breath and smiled at her.

"You kept your promise…" he whispered softly.

She nodded and smiled at him.

"Now it's time for you to keep yours, Luke. Let us help you…what do you remember now?"

He looked from Haley to Nathan to Brooke and then back to Haley before smiling slightly at her.

"All of it…" he whispered.


	9. Chapter 9

**First off, I'm SOOO sorry for the lack of updates. I went out of town for a week and my beta couldn't have it done that fast…which brings me to giving a big round of applause for my new beta for this story, Mariah! Thanks so much! I'll be updating all of my stories this weekend for sure for those of you who read the other ones. This one just happened to be the first to return from the beta works. Here's the newest chapter…and the answer you've all been waiting for at the end….mwahaha. Enjoy!**

"All of it…" he whispered.

Flashback  
Lucas opened his heavy, swollen eyes and blinked, trying to focus as black and purple spots danced in front of him. His head was pounding and he could feel the blood dripping down the back of his neck. He placed one arm behind him and slowly raised himself to a sitting position, panting hard. He hugged one arm across his chest, a sharp pain shooting through his chest with each breath. He looked around slowly and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure lying on the far side of the road. Realization hitting him hard, his head pounded harder. Adrenaline pumping through him, he pulled himself along the ground, feeling the hot pavement scrape his badly distorted ankle. Pulling himself closer, his breath caught painfully in his chest as he noticed the dark red spot on her sweater and a growing pool of blood beneath her. He finally pulled himself to a sitting position beside her and put a shaking hand on her face. Her eyes slowly opened and she looked up at him, tired and weak.

"It hurts, Lucas…" she said softly, her tear-stained face shining in the moonlight.

"I know, Allie. I know, it's gonna be okay…"

He pulled off his torn tee shirt and looked down at her. He gently pulled up her sweater, his heart aching at the sigh of blood running down her stomach.

"Is it bad, Luke…?" she asked weakly, reading the fear in his eyes.

He bit his lip and shook his head, knowing that if he spoke, she would know he was lying. He pressed the shirt firmly against her and she cried out.

"I'm sorry, Allie. It's okay…" he comforted her, taking her hand in his own.

She squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip before finally looking up again. Seeing his bare chest, she ran her shaky fingers gently over the deep gashes. He winced noticeably and she immediately pulled her hand away. He forgot his own pain, detaching himself from everything but her as he fearfully watched the blood soak through the shirt.

"I told you to run…" he whispered, his voice cracking.

"I couldn't leave you, Lucas…"

"It's my fault…I should've protected you, I promised I wouldn't let anything happen to you…"  
"No, he was after me…it's not your fault…"

Lucas bit his tongue, desperately trying to hold back his tears as he gently pulled her into his lap.

"I'm so cold, Luke…" she said, her teeth starting to chatter.

He pulled her closer to him and she smiled, soaking up his body heat. Lucas pressed the shirt tighter, panicking as the blood started to run again.

"No, no, please, Lucas. Please stop. It hurts…" she cried to him, tears streaming from the corners of her beautiful hazel eyes.

Lucas watched as the color from the girl's face slowly drained, her lips turning blue against her pale face. He looked up suddenly and stared into the distance as he heard sirens becoming louder. He looked back down at her and her eyes were almost closed.

"No, c'mon, Allie. You gotta stay with me…you can't leave me. Hang on…" Lucas pleaded with her, tears starting to flow down his own face.

"It hurts, Lucas…"

"Baby girl, please. Please, Allie, hang on…" he coaxed as three men jumped from the ambulance that had pulled up behind them.

One immediately pulled Allie off of Lucas' lap, laying her on a backboard on the ground. He held her hand tightly in his as the other two knelt down to his level.

"Son, we're here to help...my name's James…" the man said quickly, his mind obviously moving faster than he was.

Lucas didn't respond to the man's comment and looked back at Allie who was being raised up onto a bed. She turned her head, her eyes barely open, and smiled slightly at him, a peaceful look on her face.

"I love you, Lucas…" she said softly. He squeezed her hand and smiled back at her.

"I love you, too, Allie…" he responded before the bed was rolled towards the ambulance and her hand slowly slipped out of his grasp. 

The paramedic placed a strong hand on Lucas' shoulder and he winced, suddenly aware of everything else.

"You're gonna be fine…" James told the boy.

Lucas cried out as he was laid down on a stretcher and rolled into a separate ambulance. The bright lights on the ceiling hit his eyes and blurred his teary vision. He saw a figure slide in beside him and assumed it was the paramedic, James.

"What's your name, son?" he asked. The ambulance moved suddenly and Lucas's body was jarred, causing excruciating. He turned his eyes to James who was still waiting expectantly.

"Lucas…" he managed to whisper.

"Okay, Lucas…can you tell me what's bothering you?" he asked, already reaching towards various shelves.

Lucas tried to speak but nothing came out. His voice was hoarse and he was trying hard to stop the tears from falling.

"My head…ankle…can't breathe…" he managed to say before grabbing his chest in pain.

The man pulled Lucas's hand away and Lucas closed his eyes, feeling his clothes being ripped from his body.

"We've got a one six male with head injury, shattered ankle, broken ribs, possible punctured lung…other vehicle will need first treatment because of several internal injuries and blood loss…" the man said as the radio squawked.

Lucas tried to think as his head pounded. Allie's words repeated in his head like a song on repeat and her face was engraved into his thoughts.

"One six male has first treatment…we lost the other one…" the woman on the other end of the radio said simply.

Lucas's head spun. We lost the other one…? Allie. Lucas squeezed his eyes shut and the tears slid down his face. He struggled for breath and clenched his fists.

"Calm down, son…calm down. Open your eyes, stay with me, Lucas…" the man said firmly, placing a mask over Lucas's face.

"Lucas, stay with me…"  
Lucas opened his eyes, his vision clouded with tears as his mind spun.

"Allie…" he whispered to the man. James looked down at the boy and smile sympathetically. Lucas closed his eyes, willing his head to stop hammering, his mind to stop racing. Allie's face was the only thing he saw, her words were the only thing he heard, over and over and over. His head felt light and he couldn't breathe. This couldn't be happening. Just hours before, they'd be together and happy. He'd given here the ring and they'd been happy. Now, she's gone…Allie's gone. His eyes fluttered once before his mind went blank. Grief and pain overcoming his weak body, he let the darkness wash over him.  
End Flashback

"The last thing she said was that she loved me…and then she was gone…" Lucas said, finishing the story as his voice cracked. Tears filled his eyes as he looked from one person to another.

Brooke was sitting on the chair beside the bed, her face buried in her hands, clearly upset as her shoulders shook. He placed a strong hand on her back and let her cry. Haley climbed onto the bed and settled into Lucas' arm, laying against his chest and letting her own tears fall, just like when they were kids. He ran a hand through her hair and kissed the top of her head. Nathan came over and put a strong hand on Lucas's shoulder as he stared at the ground.

"Nate…?"

Nathan looked up and Lucas' breath caught as he saw tears filling his best friend's eyes, too. Silently, they all sat on the bed, grieving the loss of their friend together. Everything was coming together, and it made things real. Brooke was the first to sit up and wipe at her eyes. She sat on the bed and took Lucas' hand as Haley leaned into his chest, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"Lucas…do you remember who it was…?" Brooke finally asked hesitantly.

Everyone had forgotten. Allie was murdered. The tragic story had taken everyone's mind to how much they missed her, how much Lucas had gone through, how unfair it was, and no one remembered that Allie had been murdered...until now.

"Lucas…?" Brooke asked again timidly as he finally turned to face her.

"It was your dad, Brooke."


	10. Chapter 10

**It's been forever, hasn't it! I know, and I'm sorry. I ran into possibly the worst case of writers block EVER and didn't know where I wanted to take the story exactly. Now, finally, a new chapter. It's not very eventful, but it's got stuff in it I needed y'all to know before I go on with the rest of the story. Anyway, HUGE THANKS to Hana for being an awesome beta for the story! You guys probably wouldn't have gotten an update without her! Okay, so, feedback is appreciated, as always! Enjoy:) -justine**

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"Look over there!" Haley said, pointing straight out the windshield. Nathan pulled the car over and all three of them sighed in relief. Sitting on a picnic table with her elbows resting on her knees and her head cradled in her hands was Brooke.

"I should probably—"

Haley cut off her brother and smiled. "No, wait. Let me try first, okay?"

Lucas nodded and Nathan leaned back, kissing Haley's forehead before she opened her door and slid out, walking slowly towards her friend. When she reached the bench, she sat down silently beside her best friend. She put a hand on Brooke's knee, but Brooke quickly sat up and pulled away, scooting further away from her friend and staring straight ahead.

"Brooke..."

Brooke's face showed no emotion. She stared straight ahead put her hands behind her, sliding from where she sat on the bench to the grass underneath the table. She sat with her back against the wood and pulled her knees up. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rocked back and forth, staring straight ahead.

"Brooke, please talk to me…"

---

Lucas watched as his sister did her best to comfort her best friend. Lucas took a deep breath, willing the tears in his own eyes not to fall as the guilt he felt made his stomach sick. He felt Nathan put a hand on his shoulder. Lucas watched Brooke and tried to think of anything except what had happened, but he couldn't.

Flashback

"It was your dad, Brooke," Lucas whispered.

Silence fell upon the room and Brooke heard ringing in her ears. Suddenly, the walls grew closer and her throat tightened. Her breathing was shallow and her entire body broke out in a cold sweat. Lucas reached out for her hand and she quickly pulled away, standing from the bed and backing towards the door.

"Brooke…" Lucas started.

"No…no…you're wrong…" Brooke said.

"Broo—"

"No! You're wrong!" she yelled before turning around and running out the door, down the stairs and out of the house.

Lucas leaned his head back against the bed frame and sighed. He looked to the side and watched as tears streamed down his little sister's face. He held out his arm and Haley stood up, sitting down next to him and burying her face in her brother's chest.  
"What are we going to do, Luke?" she asked softly.

"I have to find her…"

Nathan stood up. "C'mon, Lucas. Let's go."

End Flashback

Lucas was pulled from his thoughts as his sister knocked on his window. He opened the door to find her face tear stained. He leaned out, pulling her into his embrace and rubbing her back.

"She-she won't talk, Luke. What are we going to do?" she cried.

"Shhh…its okay, Hales," he whispered.

Haley pulled away and nodded. She handed Lucas his crutches and he stood next to Haley as she climbed in the car beside Nathan.

"I'll be back, Hales," he said quietly.

Lucas looked over to where Brooke sat and sighed. As he made his way over to her, he felt as if his heart was going to fly out of his chest. His head was pounding and his ankle was throbbing. Breathing heavily, he slid himself down to where she sat on the grass and leaned back against the table. He opened his mouth to say something when she shifted on the ground. She dug her chin into her knees and took a deep breath, still staring straight ahead. He turned to look at her, his back still against the table. She felt him staring at her and felt the tears pricking her eyes. She didn't want to cry. They were wrong, all of them. It was all a lie. Lucas shifted again and cleared his throat.

"B-Brooke…?"

She didn't move. She didn't breathe. Her eyes never shifted from their fixed point ahead of her. She felt her hands shaking and gripped her legs harder. Lucas put a hesitant hand on her back, rubbing it slightly.

"Broo—"

He was cut off when Brooke turned and leaned into his chest, letting herself break down. Lucas was taken aback and stoked her hair and her tears penetrated his thin shirt. She sobbed uncontrollably and let Lucas rub her back gently. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew it was true, every word of it. Brooke cried for seconds, minutes, hours; it didn't matter to her. All that mattered was that when she cried into Lucas's chest that night, she felt relieved. She cried until she had no tears left and her whole body ached from the sobs. Hesitantly, she sat up, expecting the worst. Unexpectedly, all she saw when she sat up were tears streaming down Lucas's own face. She reached out and put a hand to the side of his face, stroking his hair.

"I'm so sorry, Luke…" she managed to say.

He shook his head and took her hand from his face and squeezing it. "Not your fault. It's my fault," he whispered.

"But he's my dad!"

"That doesn't make it your fault! Brooke, he was drunk and he was angry. He was sick, okay? He may be your dad, but he's not your responsibility. He did what he did, and it has nothing to do with you," Lucas said with tears in his eyes.

Brooke sat in silence, letting Lucas hold her hand as she cried.

"It can't be your fault, Brooke…it's mine."

"No! Lucas, it is not your fault! You tried to protect her."

"But I also caused it!"

Brooke was taken aback.

"Wh-what do you mean, you caused it?"

Lucas took a deep breath as he remembered, the story slowly spilling out as Brooke listened intently.

Flashback

"And why are we here again?" Lucas asked, staring up at the dingy apartment building.

"You don't have to come in. I just…I don't like coming to this part of town alone and it was nice to have you on the bus ride up here, Luke." Alex said, taking her sister's hand.

"Wait, okay, better question: what are you doing here?"

"Once a year, Brooke and I have to visit someone. It's not usually a nice visit and we don't look forward to it. In fact, we dread it. We have to ride all the way up here on the bus alone to this part of town and it's to talk with, well, not our favorite person in the world."

"Who is it, Allie?"

"Eric, our father…"

All three of them stared up at the apartment building and Alex sighed.

"Why don't you want me to come in?"

"Because he's really…unpredictable. We never know if it's a good day or a bad day."

"Is he sick?"

"Sort of. He's got problems…alcohol, anger management, violence; all that stuff."

"Is that why he and your mom are divorced?"

"Yeah, she took me and Brooke and left him, saying she never wanted to see him again. After all the abuse, I don't blame her."

"Well, I don't want you to go in there alone."

"No, really. Just wait here, okay?"

"No, Allie, please, let me come. I won't stay if you don't want me to."

Alex sighed in defeat and let go of Lucas's hand, linking her arm with Brooke's. "You ready?" she asked.

"Let's do this…again," Brooke sighed.

Lucas walked behind them and put a hand on both their shoulders, following them closely as they climbed the stairs to the apartment. When they reached the door, Brooke took a deep breath and hesitantly knocked on the door. They heard yelling inside and knocked again, only for the door swing open.

Lucas was taken aback. The man leaning against the doorframe was wearing only his boxers and a t-shirt. He was holding a can of beer in his hand and his face was unshaven.

"Hi, Dad," Alex said quietly.

Eric moved from the doorway and the three teens went inside and sat hesitantly on the couch. He took a seat in the armchair across from them and sighed, downing the rest of the beer and tossing the can aside.

"Who's this one?" he drawled, pointing to Lucas.

"Um, Daddy, this is Alex's boyfriend, Lucas," Brooke said hesitantly.

"Boyfriend! Aren't you supposed to get the father's permission?" he directed at Lucas angrily.

"Well, sir, I would have—"

"No! Alex! I don't believe you! You would bring this boy here?"

Eric stood up unsteadily and Lucas felt both sisters brace themselves from where they sat on the couch.

"You have no right to bring that jackass here!" he shouted unexpectedly.

Alex jumped up from where she sat to face her dad. Brooke stood up instinctively to back up her sister. Lucas also took a step up, standing beside Alex defensively.

"Daddy! He's a nice boy! You didn't even give him a chance! Don't you trust me?"

"No! I don't! You're a stupid bitchy girl, just like your mother!"

With that, he swung his fist, missing Alex's jaw but hitting her shoulder; sending her falling backwards. Lucas instantly sent his own fist flying and hit the man squarely in the jaw. Eric fell back into the armchair and stood back up again, punching Lucas in the stomach. Lucas bent over, and kicked his knee, both of them falling to the ground. Brooke and Alex took Lucas's arms and pulled him off the ground, holding him back as he went to hit him again.

"Luke! Lucas, please. Just leave him. Let's just go…" Alex pleaded.

Lucas harshly pulled his arms from the girls' grasps and took once last look at the man.

"I'm not done with you, blondie!" Eric shouted at Lucas as the two girls followed him out and down to the street.

Once they were out of the building, Alex put both hands on Lucas's shoulders, turning him around.

"Luke, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine…" he said, lifting her sleeve to inspect her shoulder.

She pushed his hand away and put her arms around his waist. "I'm so sorry, Lucas…I am, really. He didn't mean that. He just…gets that way sometimes. He didn't mean that he wasn't done with us. He'll forget all about it, okay?"

Lucas nodded and forced a smile.

Later, as the three of them walked back to the bus, he couldn't shake that feeling. Something wasn't right about the man, he just didn't know what. He looked into his girlfriend's eyes and saw something he hadn't seen before: fear.

"Everything's fine, Allie. Nothing's going to happen," he said quietly.

End Flashback

Brooke watched as tears spilled out of Lucas's eyes and scooted closer to him, letting him wrap his arms around her. "Lucas, it's not your fault. It could've happened anytime. Meeting you had nothing to do with it!"

"Yes it did! If I hadn't gone with her to see him, he wouldn't have been so angry with her!" Lucas said loudly.

"If he wasn't mad about her bringing you, he would have been mad at something else by the time the afternoon was over! He always is! He never loved us!"

Lucas looked up to see tears streaming down Brooke's face again and he wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his chin in her hair as she cried into his chest. "No, no, Brooke. Shhh, I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to make you upset, I'm sorry," he whispered.

She cried into his chest until she felt like no more tears could possibly run down her cheeks. She pulled back and smiled at Lucas as best she could.

"You okay?"

She didn't respond. She rose to her feet and slowly pulled him up beside her, handing his crutches to him and standing in front of him.

"Brooke, I just…I want you to know that I'm here, okay? It's okay that you're upset. You just need to talk to someone. And I want you to know that if you need me, I'll be here," he said softly.

She bit her lip and nodded. As he went to turn around, she grabbed him and he turned to face her again. "Luke? I, um, it goes both ways, you know. I'm here, too," she confessed quietly.

He nodded slightly and pulled her into his embrace, kissing her forehead.

They made their way slowly back to the car and Brooke slid in right next to Lucas in the backseat. No one said a word. When they reached the house, Brooke silently slid out of the car and went into the house. Nathan helped Lucas out of the car and put a strong arm around his best friend's waist and he swayed back and forth on his feet. "C'mon, Luke. We've got to get you back inside before my parents kill me for letting you go out. How you feeling?" he asked as Lucas leaned heavily on him.

"It'll be okay," Lucas mumbled, growing more tired and weak by the second.  
When they got into the house, Haley stepped in front of him.

"Luke? How are you and Brooke?" she asked softly.

He bit his lip and pulled Haley into his embrace. "It'll be okay…" he whispered quietly to his sister as they gently rocked back and forth.


End file.
